Vampire Mourning
by jajajaja
Summary: A new generation has entered Cross Academy but the with the same secret - the Night Class students are vampires. Only now the secret is entrusted in Cross Mayu and Mori Katsu, the new Guardians. After every Knight comes a Mourning...
1. Chapter 1

**Vampire Mourning**

"Hey," Cross Mayu shouted, "go back to your rooms! Stop pushing! If you're going to stay, stay behind that line!" Mayu frantically tried to control the Day Class students who were gathered outside of the Moon Dorms. Unfortunately she was too late and the gates of the Moon Dorms had opened. She was in trouble now.

"Please!" Mayu yelled at the girls.

"Excuse me. We would like to go to our classes, so if you would be so kind as to make a path," Nakamura Daichi, vice-president of the Night Class, said smoothly. "Let's give our school's Guardian a break."

The crowd of girls obeyed immediately. They couldn't possible not listen to one of their idols. Mayu smiled and gave a sigh of relief.

"Thank you very much, Daichi-sama," Mayu said without even thinking. She gave a quick bow, blushed and turned away. Daichi smiled and nodded.

The Night Class students moved quickly past the crowd, for they really couldn't have cared less about them. To some the Day Class girls were a pain; Mayu understood, for sometimes she felt the same way. Once the Night Class was far enough away Mayu blew her whistle.

"Anyone still here ten minutes from now will have detention for a week!" Mayu shouted. And she could make that happen.

Mayu snickered as the girls fled back to the Sun Dorms. That was probably the only fun thing about Guardian. It was an important job, though. Someone needed to guard the secret of the Night Class and Mayu was the girl. It was extremely important that the Day Class did not know that the Night Class students were actually vampires. It would have probably scared most girls to know this, but Mayu was raised knowing about vampires, it wasn't that big a deal.

Cross Academy had been mending the relationship between humans and vampires for years now with few slipups. Mayu's great uncle left her father in charge of the academy when he died. Mayu's father had no idea how to run an academy so he received assistance from the former Guardian, Kiryu Zero.

The sun was setting now as Mayu started on her way to the headmaster's office. She passed one tree and saw that the other Guardian, Mori Katsu, was asleep in it. Mayu took a deep breath and then hit Katsu in the stomach. Katsu nearly fell out of the tree because she had knocked the wind out of him. He jumped onto the castle path.

"What was that for?" Katsu demanded.

"For leaving me to take care of the Day Class crowd alone, stupid," Mayu replied. "Honestly, Katsu, you're so irresponsible."

"I don't need a lecture," Katsu mumbled; ruffling his messy, pitch black hair. He yawned and Mayu glared at him.

"I'm flattered, but are you really just going to stare at me?" he asked. Mayu blushed angrily, hit him again and continued walking to the headmaster's office. Katsu ran to be in front of Mayu and began walking backwards.

"Where you going?" Katsu asked.

"My father's office," Mayu replied.

"I'll go with you."

"Good, you're supposed to."

They paused to grin at one another. Mayu then walked past him and he followed her. They quickly walked the rest of the way to the headmaster's office. Katsu told her about his day along the way. Mayu listened to about half of what he said, because she was too busy wondering what to do about the continuously growing crowd of Day Class girls.

"Mayu," Katsu said suddenly. Mayu snapped out of her daze. Katsu pointed to the door of the headmaster's office that she had walked right past. Mayu blushed and went through the correct door.

"Don't worry just yet," they heard Kiryu-san mutter. "They are made to attract humans."

"Yes, but didn't you say that we should keep them as far away as possible?" replied headmaster Cross. "If too many try to get close to them, someone may find out."

"I think we should just be keeping a close eye on the Night Class; making sure that they do not slip up."

"Zero…"

Then Mayu decided to say, "Father."

"Mayu? Katsu-kun?" replied the headmaster.

"Hey," Katsu mumbled, not too pleased about Mayu giving them away. Kiryu-san glanced at the headmaster, muttered a farewell and quickly left the office.

"What's the matter with him?" Mayu asked even though she already knew. She had to, though, to make it seem like they had not been eavesdropping.

"He thinks his way is best and gets frustrated when I don't agree," replied Headmaster Cross. He wore a smile, but Mayu could see the worry in his eyes. Mayu pretended not to notice, while Katsu raised one eyebrow skeptically. However, he surprisingly did not say anything about it as he would if it was Mayu. Katsu put his hands in his pockets and looked out the window, almost thoughtfully.

"It's surprising how the Day Class can think about anything other than these insane tests your employees are slamming us with," Katsu said in his obnoxious tone. "Ha. I bet if those girls knew that they were in love with vampires –"

"Katsu," the headmaster sternly interrupted.

"Sorry, I forgot Mayu was one of their fan-girls," Katsu replied, leaning closely to the headmaster and holding up his hand to shield his mouth from Mayu. She still heard, which was obviously his intention. She would usually just ignore him, but tonight she wasn't taking any of his crap.

"I'm not a fan-girl!" Mayu insisted angrily. She punched Katsu, who started laughing and running away from her. She ran after him and he tripped her.

"It's obvious you love 'Daichi-sama,'" Katsu teased, imitating her voice poorly. Mayu jumped up from the ground and threw her arm around his neck. She then started rubbing her knuckles against his head. He broke her hold quickly, twisted her arms to behind her back and told her to say "uncle."

"Enough you two," the headmaster said, standing up. "Let go of her, Katsu."

Katsu obeyed, dropping Mayu on the ground. Mayu glared at him and stood up, but took no act of revenge.

"You should hurry and do your night patrol. Make sure no Day Class students –"

"Girls, you mean," Katsu interrupted. The headmaster shot him a look of annoyance and continued.

"– _girls _are out of their dorms."

"Yes, sir," Mayu and Katsu said in unison, then they saluted together and left.

As they walked down the hall Katsu began to slow. Mayu turned and was about to bark at him to hurry up when he cut her off.

"It surprises me how much you like Nakamura-kun considering how little you know of him and how little he acknowledges your presence," he said.

Mayu's cheeks burned as her mind instantly remembered earlier when Daichi had calmed the Day Class girls. He had helped her and smiled at her.

"I just admire how he's handled the Night Class while Hayashi-senpai is away," Mayu replied smoothly. Hayashi Leiko was the Night Class president. Leiko was conceited and power-thirsty, but was stunningly beautiful. So much so that it seemed to put some other girls to shame. Leiko was also a pureblood vampire, meaning she could Change humans and was vampire royalty. She'd been away on a trip, visiting relatives.

"Your cheeks disagree," observed Katsu.

"Whatever. Let's just get the patrol done."

Katsu chuckled but nodded. Mayu saw, as they neared the end of the hall, that it would be drizzling. Now she really wanted to finish the patrol quickly and she was sure Katsu would too. They didn't say anything for a long while. Because Katsu was usually rambling on and on, it was odd.

At that point it must have bothered Katsu a lot, for he jumped onto the railing on the side where there was no longer a wall. It made Mayu nervous, but she realized that must have been the point, so she ignored him. Then Katsu lost his footing and started rocking from side to side. Mayu swallowed a squeak of fright and instantly moved to grab Katsu's arm. He started laughing and "miraculously" regained his balance. He pointed at Mayu.

"You were worried about me," he observed with a grin.

"I'll push you off that thing," Mayu threatened. Katsu rolled his eyes. Mayu wished that Katsu could be afraid of her threats for once.

Katsu stopped suddenly. When Mayu tried to ask him to keep moving, he put his index finger to his lip, motioning to be quiet. Mayu obeyed and listened to the surroundings. At first all she heard was the drizzling of the rain and the run off from the castle's roof. At last she heard voices, three voices, coming from below. Mayu climbed into one of the trees, using a limb that had grown close to the wall, and managed to get to the ground. Once she was there, Katsu jumped beside her. Mayu felt more confident as she remembered she had her staff. The staff, her father said, that was used by most female Guardians.

There were three large boys from the Day Class, standing around each other, laughing and smoking. Mayu ground her teeth together as they threw their cigarette butts onto the ground.

"Hey!" Mayu said loudly. "What do you think you're doing?"

One boy laughed. The second replied, "Nothing."

"You guys are idiots," Katsu said, his voice stern. "Where the hell did you even get a pack?"

"Not your business," said the first.

Katsu laughed quietly at this and said, "Actually, it is. You can't smoke on school grounds. And pretty soon you won't even be allowed to leave campus."

"Aw, come on," groaned the third. The first boy tried to sprint away, but Mayu grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. She flashed a toothy smile at him.

"Not so fast," she murmured.

She and Katsu dragged the three boys back to the headmaster's office. By then it was completely dark out, which made Mayu a little nervous. Katsu glanced at her and motioned that they should go finish the patrol. Mayu smiled and nodded. They slipped out of the headmaster's office. They both knew it would be a boring walk, for those three fools were the only ones they were going to catch. At least, that's what they hoped.


	2. Chapter 2

2

Mayu frowned as she stepped out into the rain. Katsu mumbled something about getting an umbrella. Neither saw the point in continuing their patrol after finding the three smokers. No Day Class girls would be going out now that it was raining. Mayu sighed.

"Let's just go check the gates and then will finish the patrol on the way to our rooms," Katsu suggested.

"Yeah, sure," Mayu replied. It seemed like the best way to finish quickly.

They weren't too far from the school's main gate, which was lucky for them. Mayu hadn't been able to study for days now and she really needed to if she wanted to pull her grade back up. She wished she could be like Katsu sometimes. He didn't care about studying, didn't study and still managed to get straight Bs or higher.

When the two arrived at the front gates they heard voices coming from the other side. Mayu looked at Katsu, who narrowed his eyebrows. No one would be at the school without the headmaster knowing, and if he had known he would have made sure she and Katsu knew.

"Who's –" Katsu began to shout but the gates opened then. Katsu pulled out his dagger and Mayu took out her staff.

They gates opened to reveal Leiko Hayashi standing alone with one suit case next to her. Her beautiful, long, light orange hair blew around her. A smug little smile sat upon her face. She looked eerily pale in the darkness.

"I'm back," she said. "Ah. Are you my escorts? That's lovely of the Guardians to volunteer."

"Actually we had no idea you were returning, Hayashi-senpai," Mayu said.

"No matter," Leiko replied, holding up her hand. "You will aid me, won't you?"

Katsu and Mayu sighed.

"Yes," Katsu answered. He picked up her suitcase and pulled the lever to close the gates. Leiko's smile remained as she walked between Mayu and Katsu. Mayu and Katsu exchanged glances but quickly looked ahead of them. Leiko chuckled.

"Did I interrupt something?" she asked.

"Not really," Katsu began.

"We were just finishing our patrol," Mayu finished.

"Who would be out in the rain?"

"Our thoughts exactly," Katsu muttered.

They walked back toward the classrooms to announce to the other Night Class about her unexpected return. Leiko commented on the state of…everything. Apparently everything about the school had changed while she was away. Mayu just thought it was an excuse to complain. Eventually she had nothing left to comment about that were on the grounds.

So she said, "What are the humans up to?"

"We wouldn't know, we rarely get to see them," Katsu grumbled. Apparently her little suitcase was heavier than it appeared. Mayu didn't let Leiko distract her; they were almost to the classroom and almost rid of Leiko. Leiko gave a "humph" and muttered something about humans not being very interesting anyway.

"How was your trip?" Katsu asked.

"Just fine," Leiko replied.

"Where exactly did you go?"

"That is none of your business, Mori."

"As Guardians of the school we should know. We need to know whom the students are in contact with and if those people seem to be a threat to the school. Your absence was also unexpected and unannounced. I believe that you owe it to us to tell us. We really just don't want to have any angry vampires barging into our school."

Mayu grinned. Katsu could definitely become a lawyer. He had a surprisingly good way with words, but he only used it when he felt the need to show of or it was necessary. A slight crease formed between Leiko's two eyebrows as she stared at him, thinking of a better response.

"I have the right to secrecy, Guardians," Leiko said. "But I can assure you there will be no angry vampires assaulting the academy."

Both Mayu and Katsu frowned. They thought Katsu had gotten her. Of course a pureblood would be used to getting around questions like theirs. The good news was that they had arrived at the classroom. Mayu went to knock on the door, but Leiko told her to just open it. Mayu obeyed and followed her and Katsu inside.

The Night Class students all stood out of both respect and surprise.

"Leiko," said Fujita Hayate, a tall, muddy brown eyed, Night Class student with brown hair that had grown quite long. Mayu and Katsu knew that he was one of Leiko's favorites. They also knew that Leiko was not one of Hayate's favorites. There were very few who actually enjoyed her presence, most either detested her or feared her.

"Welcome back," Daichi said, but it was easy to tell he too was surprised. Other Night Class students murmured greetings. The teacher glanced up from his grading. Mayu wondered if the Night Class was even taught anything.

"Thank you, Guardians," Leiko said, turning back to them. "You wouldn't mind just leaving my trunk here, would you?"

"Not at all," Katsu replied without his usual smile. Leiko stared at them for a moment and Mayu was the first to get it. Mayu elbowed Katsu. Both walked out and had the door slammed behind them. Mayu started walking away while Katsu ran in the opposite direction.

"Where are you going?" Mayu hissed.

"I'm going to do this little thing called eavesdropping that we've already done today," Katsu replied sarcastically. "Try to keep up."

Katsu ran around the corner and turned left. Mayu stayed put for a second before sighing and running after him. Katsu was looking at the trees near the classroom's windows when Mayu caught up. He smiled at Mayu and point at the window. Mayu rolled her eyes. Katsu shrugged and began climbing.

"Katsu," Mayu whispered; she knew how keen a vampire's hearing was.

"Sh!" hissed Katsu, placing his index finger to his mouth. He began climbing the tree and, after a moment, Mayu followed him. The stayed hidden by the leaves near the top of the tree. Then they listened closely to the voice being cared out of a window that was stuck open.

"…and they don't believe the academy is a smart investment," they heard Leiko say.

"How can that be?" asked another student, Anzai Yuri. Mayu like Yuri because she would always object when Leiko said something ridiculous. Yuri could also get away with it.

"They feel we shouldn't be around humans," replied Leiko.

"We need to have human interaction or else our kind may attack any, like those Level Es," Daichi pointed out.

There were murmurs of agreement among the rest. Mayu felt a smile curl on her face. The other Night Class students still felt loyal to Daichi because of Leiko's absence. Katsu rolled his eyes, apparently not seeing what was so wonderful about Daichi being correct. Leiko laughed while curling a lock of her orange hair. She walked over to Daichi and took a seat next to him.

"Don't worry," she said. "It's not my opinion, it's theirs. They think that something – or I believe they meant someone – is going to jeopardize our secrecy. I agree with you completely that we must become somewhat associated with humans, but not if it costs us. Understand?"

"Yes," Hayate said first. Others thought over what Leiko said before also agreeing. Daichi smiled at Leiko and murmured something that neither Katsu nor Mayu could hear. Leiko smile widened. Katsu swore, grabbed Mayu and pulled her out of the tree. She fell first and Katsu landed on top of her. Mayu gasped for breath as she tried to push him off her. Katsu squeezed his eyes shut with pain and rolled over. They both panted for a moment before Mayu whacked him in the stomach. Katsu gasped and rolled over, holding his stomach.

"What the hell?" He hissed.

"What the hell? I think _I_ should be the one saying that!" growled Mayu. "Why'd you do that?"

"Because –"

"Because we heard you, Guardians," called a familiar voice.

"Damn it, Mayu," Katsu grumbled.

Mayu looked up and saw Leiko waving to them. Mayu tried to glare at her but the rain made it difficult. Leiko was smiling an evil smug smile of victory. Daichi stuck his head out the window as well. He wore a peculiar expression that made Mayu feel embarrassed that she had followed Katsu's dumb idea, especially because it resulted in them both lying on the ground in the rain.

"You know, Daichi here was the one who spotted you and told me," Leiko called to them.

Mayu blushed and rolled over. She grabbed Katsu by his jacket off the ground.

"What happens when we get busted?" whispered Mayu.

"You should have just kept your trap shut and your arms to yourself," hissed Katsu in reply. "Let's just go. We'll say we're late."

"What are you late for?" asked Leiko. "Wouldn't you like to stay and know what's going on?"

"We need to speak with Kiryu-san," Katsu explained. Leiko's smile merely faltered while Daichi frowned.

The rain was pouring down now as though it was trying to beat them to death. Katsu threw his jacket over Mayu and they ran back into the castle. Mayu was angry now that what Daichi had done had saddened her. She should have known that even though she liked Daichi, he was loyal to Leiko, not the Guardians. Still, it bothered Mayu.

"Oh my God, Mayu, you're seriously letting him bug you?" Katsu groaned.

"No, I'm not!" Mayu snapped. "Shut up. Eavesdropping was your stupid idea."

"You didn't have to follow."

"You know I did."

Katsu shrugged. The he looked at Mayu. When Mayu demanded to know what he was staring at he simply asked for his jacket back. Mayu blushed and handed it too him without looking at him. Katsu chuckled but said nothing further. They walked in silence for a long time until it was time for them to go their different ways.

"Really, Mayu, you –" Katsu began.

"See you tomorrow, Katsu," Mayu interrupted with a smile. Katsu chuckled, understanding that she wanted to hear nothing further about their short espionage failure. He started walking away, waving goodbye.

Mayu started her way to the girls' dorms. Along the way she saw Zero walking in the opposite direction.

"Kiryu-san!" Mayu called.

Zero turned his head toward her and waited a moment before saying, "Oh, hello… Mayu."

"I just wanted to ask you if you knew where Hayashi-senpai went on her, uh, trip."

"I'm sorry I don't know."

"She didn't tell even you?"

"I'm not too familiar with the Night Class president. She surely wouldn't tell me."

"But you're a…"

Zero sighed and aid, "I like to try to forget that, Mayu. You should get to your dorm."

Mayu nodded. She'd almost talked about one of the worst things to talk about to Zero. It was true that he was always grouchy for no apparent reason, but when he became really annoyed no one dared speak a word to him or about him. Mayu had known him since she was little and knew how his temper was.

Zero waited for Mayu to leave before kicking the castle wall. It left only a dent, for he was trying not to break it. He did not see Mayu, but she saw him kick the wall. Mayu frowned. He hate vampires, loathed them actually, but it was only because he was forced to become one. It was some sort of revenge, Mayu's father had said. She was told nothing beyond that as to how he became one. She did know that he was almost in the bottom class of vampires. The only vampires with a lower status than him were Level Es. Mayu knew it was practically a miracle that he isn't a Level E.

Mayu frowned; she hadn't meant to frustrate Zero. But it seemed like whenever anyone spoke to him he became hostile. Mayu felt bad for him because he lived with so much hate weighing him down. She slipped out of her hiding spot and ran off to her dorm room.

She opened the door to her dorm and to her horror saw her roommate, Endo Atsuko, kissing Katsu on Mayu's bed.

"What're you doing?" Mayu demanded in a voice that was abnormally high.

Atsuko and Katsu stopped kissing and looked at Mayu.

"Isn't it obvious?" Katsu asked.

"Get out!" Mayu ordered.

"Fine!" Katsu growled. He stormed out the room, ran back in, grabbed his jacket and sulked on down the hall. Mayu stuck her tongue out at him. Atsuko sighed.

Atsuko muttered, "I'll be sure not to kiss in here anymore."

Mayu nodded, but continued to watch Katsu walk away. Mayu had forgotten Atsuko was dating him. It was just Mayu's luck to be rooming with his girlfriend. At least Atsuko was nice. Atsuko was also Mayu's only friend besides Katsu, who wasn't really Mayu's friend. However, Mayu didn't get to see Atsuko very much. The headmaster warned Mayu about the fact that being a Guardian was an unsocial task. Mayu couldn't care less. She was fine with being on her own.

In an angry tone, Mayu called to Katsu, "I'll see you tomorrow!"


	3. Chapter 3

3

The next day Mayu awoke extremely tired. What else could she have expected, though; she had had a late night. Atsuko, however, was not tired in the slightest. She was as perky as ever. She was nearly skipped down the hall next to Mayu.

"Is Katsu really that great?" Mayu muttered, then yawned.

"Yes!" Atsuko squealed. "Oh, sorry."

"You don't need to apologize. I really don't care as long as you keep him out of our room."

"Sure, sure. No problem. Oh, hey, Nana-chan!"

Atsuko waved to her friend, said she'd meet up with Mayu later and ran over to her friend. Mayu walked by her self the rest of the way to class, wondering why Atsuko was so quick to apologize. Some said it was because of the rumors, but when Mayu asked about the rumors they all told her that they were nothing. Mayu just shook it off, for rumors were nothing. She did not let them affect her.

As she entered the classroom, Katsu was instantly next to her. He grabbed her arm and pulled her up to the back of the classroom.

"What the hell was with you yesterday?" demanded he.

"Nothing more than usual," Mayu replied, rolling her eyes.

"Seriously, Mayu."

"Is it really not obvious that I'm going to freak out if I find a boy in my room?"

"She's my girlfriend, so don't go throwing me out."

"Again, it is also my room. Take her to your room next time."

"I will."

Mayu raised one eyebrow and looked down at his hand still grasping her arm. Katsu exhaled angrily and let go of her. Mayu brushed past him and took a seat in the back of the classroom. Katsu took his place next to her. While most everyone else in the classroom talked, Mayu waited quietly for the teacher. Katsu and Atsuko were kissing next to her, which Mayu was keen to ignore.

~VM~

Class passed too slowly for Mayu. She also already knew everything the teacher was teaching, which made it much more frustrating. She spent the first half of the class finishing the homework for that night and then other half counting down until when she would be dismissed. Katsu had fallen asleep next to her without having even finished the class work. Mayu scowled, for she knew that somehow he would be able to finish it all; he always did.

Mayu elbowed him. His head shot up and he looked at her. Mayu gestured toward the clock. Katsu nodded and started furiously writing on his paper. Mayu shook her head, not knowing why she had helped him. Glancing out the window, she saw that dark clouds were still over the academy. However, it was not raining anymore, but it looked as though it would start to soon.

Mayu counted down the seconds and then the glorious words came. Mayu was out of the classroom almost instantly. She walked directly to the courtyard with Katsu following.

"What are you eating today?" Katsu asked.

"Something edible," answered Mayu, glancing at him.

"I hope it's not me. Who knows, you love those vampires so much you might have become one."

"I don't love them, I fight them, and I am most definitely not one."

"Whatever."

Mayu took a seat underneath one of the trees out in the courtyard. Because no one went there, it was her favorite. She climbed a little ways up the tree and picked a fruit off of it. She wasn't sure what kind of fruit it was, but she liked it. Katsu didn't usually eat a lunch, which Mayu always bugged him about, but he said he always a big breakfast and dinner to make up for it.

Like everyday he tried to beat her at thumb wrestling, tic-tac-toe, and hangman. Mayu beat him at all of course. As usual, he then challenged her to arm wrestling and she lost. Mayu reckoned he would boast all day about it again, as well.

"You're not as strong as you think," Mayu told him.

"Well then I'm still pretty damn strong," replied Katsu.

"Cocky much?"

"Mayu!" called another voice. The two turned to see Zero running toward them. He wasn't wearing his usual expression of hatred. He looked anxious and afraid. It made Mayu nervous.

"What is it, Kiryu-san?" Mayu asked.

"There's a new student. He just arrived. Your father would like you and Mori-kun to be the first students to meet him."

"Now?" asked Katsu.

"Yes," snapped Zero, glaring at him. Katsu blinked and picked up his bag. They followed him to the chairman's office.

They were practically running the whole way there, dodging the students coming the other way. Zero didn't see them as an obstacle. Mayu however was highly irritated when she hit three different students. Everyone, of course, cleared out of the way for the frightening Zero, but didn't care if it was Mayu. Katsu pushed past Mayu, grabbed her arm, and pulled her behind him. They moved more quickly, but Mayu did not like it one bit.

Once they arrived at the headmaster's office, Zero flung the doors open. Mayu jumped and Katsu tensed, but the boy sitting in one of the chairs did not even flinch. The headmaster smiled at Zero, then Mayu and Katsu.

"Good for you two to join us," said Cross. "You really do not waste anytime, do you, Kiryu-kun."

"No," Zero practically growled. Mayu stepped toward her father's desk.

"Who is it we are meeting, father?" she asked.

Katsu mumbled something about her not trying to sound like she cared. Zero hit him in the back of the head with rolled up papers. Katsu gave a shout of pain that was silenced once Zero glared at him. The boy sitting chuckled.

Mayu now had a good look at him. He was older than a first-year, but he didn't look like he could be in Mayu's third-year, so she assumed he would be a second-year. He had long hair, even longer than Katsu's, that was a dark brown with a unique purple tone. His eyes were a simple muddy brown color, but were shaped in a lovely way; they were somewhat catlike and piercing, but calming at the same time. His posture was superb. A little smile rested upon his face, as though he knew a dirty secret.

Mayu blinked and looked at him again. This time she realized there was something different about him. He was a vampire.

"Oh," whispered Mayu. Her father laid a hand on her shoulder as though trying to tell her that it was safe.

"This is my daughter, and school Guardian, Cross Mayu," said the headmaster. "And the fool over there is Mori Katsu, the other Guardian."

Katsu frowned.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," said the boy. "I'm Kuran Yuuta."

"Pardon?" Mayu murmured after Katsu gasped "What?"

Yuuta's knowing smile widened.

"My name is Kuran Yuuta," he repeated.

"They heard you, Kuran," Zero mumbled. Headmaster Cross through a look at Zero that silenced him immediately; it was a look of disapproval and anger.

"It's good to meet you, Kuran-kun," Mayu said quietly and politely.

"Uh, yeah," Katsu agreed, flustered.

"It's an honor to meet you both," said Yuuta.

"You're joining the Night Class," Mayu said, obviously not in the format of a question. Yuuta ignored this with a little chuckle.

"Yes, that is correct," he said.

"Do you need us to show you the way or something?" asked Katsu rudely.

"It would very kind of you two to show Kuran-kun to Hayashi-kun," said the headmaster with a look that told Mayu it was not a request.

"Yes, father," said Mayu.

"Come on, Kuran-kun," Katsu said, motioning for the door. The three left.

They were halfway down the hall once they heard Zero explode with rage, shouting at the headmaster; demanding how he could let a Kuran into the academy again.

"Kiryu-san doesn't like you," stated Mayu.

"Mayu!" Katsu said sternly. Mayu just shrugged as he turned to Yuuta and said, "Don't worry, Kiryu-san don't like anyone. And Mayu just doesn't know how normal humans behave."

"Yes I do," Mayu said defensively.

"It's fine, really, Mayu," Yuuta said. Mayu blushed; she did not know Yuuta and found it odd that he had called her by her first name.

"Mayu-chan," she whispered to correct him.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Yuuta said quickly. "I heard Mori-kun call you that and just assumed."

"Mayu and I have known each other since we were kids," Katsu explained.

"Ah, I see."

"What brings you to Cross Academy?" asked Mayu, trying to push the conversation along.

"My family is a strong supporter of this academy," Yuuta began. "My parents found it fitting that I attend. And here I am."

Mayu nodded. She realized that it was rather odd for a vampire family to support the academy, for not many did. Perhaps, she thought, his family was also a minority of the vampire world. Kuran was his name. Mayu searched her memories of what her father had told her of the vampire world. Kuran sounded so familiar. Mayu had to clutch her hand tightly to keep from gasping. The Kuran family was another pureblood family. Kuran Kaname had gone to this academy in the years Zero had. He had been Night Class president and took Kuran Yuuki, who did not even know she was a vampire until her final year, from the former headmaster, who had raised Yuuki after some accident with a vampire attack. They usually kept to themselves, why would they have sent their only son to the academy now? Mayu wondered.

"Who are your parents?" Mayu asked. Yuuta's unique smile had returned.

"Ah, so your father has told you a few things of the vampire world," Yuuta observed. "My parents are Kuran Kaname and Yuuki."

Katsu turned to Mayu demanding with his eyes to know how she knew this. Mayu kept her usual stare of not caring. Katsu's face twisted as his anger and confusion increased. He turned back to Yuuta and babbled noises that were not words. Yuuta held up his hand.

"Don't let it concern you, Mori-kun," Yuuta said with a smile, different from his one earlier. This smile now was actually reassuring without doubt.

"Come on," Mayu said, pretending to be impatient. "Hayashi-senpai will be waiting."

Yuuta nodded. As they walked along the pathways, many heads turned to see who the new arrival was. Mayu snapped at quite a few to mind their own business and get to class. Katsu muttered something about not being rude which Mayu was keen to ignore. Yuuta chuckled at this. While they walked, however, Yuuta continued to try and hide himself from the curious Day Class. It was as though they were embarrassing him. Mayu did not look at Katsu or Yuuta for the rest of the walk.

Mayu suddenly became nervous as the great Moon Dorms started to loom over them.

"There is your dorm over there," said Mayu, knowing her voice sounded off.

"Let us hurry to find Hayashi Leiko," Yuuta replied.


	4. Chapter 4

4

As they drew closer to the Moon Dorms, Mayu remembered that the Night Class students would still be asleep. Mayu's face rose in color a little.

"Thinking of Nakamura, are you?" Katsu assumed.

"N-no!" Mayu growled, glancing at Yuuta. "Don't you think it's…stuffy out?"

Katsu smile curled and he replied, "Sure."

Yuuta laughed gently. Mayu and Katsu turned to face him and sheepishly exchanged expressions.

"You two are quite comical," Yuuta noticed. "Are you two dating?"

"No!" Mayu exclaimed at once.

Katsu pretended to be hurt and mumbled, "What's with your reaction? Would I be that awful to date…?"

"I'm sorry," Yuuta said.

"It's fine," Katsu and Mayu mumbled together.

Mayu showed the sash on her shoulder to the gate's guard. The guard's face did not change, he just stared at her as though examining her, but then he nodded. Mayu nodded in return, being careful not to drop her guard. Katsu grabbed her arm and pulled her past him. Yuuta thanked the guard, who, of course, did not reply. Mayu pulled her arm away from Katsu and led the way to the door, almost strutting.

However, once she reached the door she froze. She wasn't sure whether to just open the door or knock. Katsu smirked, brushed by her, and knocked on the great wooden doors.

"Worried about seeing Nakamura?" he jeered. Mayu punched him in the jaw.

Hayate and Kobi Isamu greeted them at the door. Hayate didn't look pleased to see them there at all. He crossed his arms and straightened up to show off how strong he was. Isamu didn't seem to really care, but he forced a smile. Isamu asked why they had the honor of the Guardians' presence. Mayu and Katsu stepped aside so that Yuuta could be seen. Hayate's jaw dropped, but he quickly recovered.

"Kuran-san?" Isamu muttered in his soft voice.

"Kuran-kun, please," Yuuta corrected.

"Hayashi-sama!" Isamu called.

"What is it?" Leiko demanded, emerging from her room and walking down the staircase.

"We have … visitors," Hayate explained slowly.

Leiko came closer, narrowing her eyebrows. She could only see the Guardians and was rather annoyed that they dared to bother her again. Then when she saw Isamu's serious expression she knew that it was not just Mayu and Katsu.

Yuuta stepped forward and bowed, but she saw the amusement in his eyes. Leiko fought back a scowl and instead nodded graciously. Mayu didn't really understand why she felt such a heavy tension between the two, but Leiko wasn't very good at masking it. However, whatever was going on between them, Yuuta obviously wanted Mayu and Katsu to see it.

Leiko invited Yuuta in and then reluctantly also invited in Mayu and Katsu. Katsu sighed and Mayu rolled her eyes away from Leiko.

"What brings you here, Kuran-kun?" Leiko asked after telling Yuri to find Daichi.

"I've come to learn," Yuuta replied simply. "Is this not a school?"

Leiko frowned.

"Why the middle of the school year?" asked Isamu, brush a lock of his black hair out of his eyes.

"My parents debated for quite some time and they decided to send me now despite the time they took deciding."

Isamu snorted quietly, obviously not convinced. Leiko still didn't seem thrilled at the idea that another pureblood, of a higher birth, was taking over her territory.

Despite this she said, "We're thrilled that you've joined us."

"Hayashi-senpai," Daichi stated, "you requested I come?"

"Yes, meet Kuran Yuuta," Leiko said.

"Kuran… it is nice to meet you."

"Likewise… I'm sorry, what is your name?" Yuuta said.

"Oh, yes, sorry," Daichi stuttered. "I am Nakamura Daichi. This is my second year at Cross Academy."

Yuuta smiled wider; this, however, did not make it any less frightening. Mayu shrank back to Katsu. Looking up at him, they both exchanged a look that said '_why are we still here?'_

Neither really wanted to leave, though, for the immense tension begged for an explanation. Yuri tugged lightly on Mayu's shirt and as Mayu turned around, Yuri mouthed something. Mayu narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"You can't leave yet," Katsu translated in a whisper.

"Why?" Mayu mouthed.

"You'll see."

"Kuran-sama, will your parents ever be visiting?" Daichi asked.

"No."

"Why do they remain in hiding?"

"Silence," Yuuta growled. "I am here to study and to watch over this academy as an aid to my parents. If all you have to say to me is of my parents you may leave. If you do not mind, Nakamura-kun, please show me where I may stay."

Yuuta and Daichi left, but no one spoke until they were out of earshot, which is very far for a vampire.

"You two," Leiko said, pointing at Mayu and Katsu.

"What?" Mayu sighed.

"You will be in charge of Yuuta."

"What? Why not one of your class? Like Hayate?" Katsu whined.

"Because you brought him here. Don't worry, of course I'll have some of my own class watch over him, but you'll be keeping an extra close eye on him."

Mayu glanced at Yuri, who was frowning.

"Will you do this?" Leiko asked.

"Who are we to disagree to a pureblood's demands in a room full of vampires?" Mayu replied.

"Good. Good-bye."

With that, they were cast out the door. Katsu swore and muttered complaints to himself. Mayu sighed and sank onto the steps outside. Clouds covered the sun now and it looked as though it were going to rain. It was much different from when they first enter the Moon Dorms.

"You should have let us leave when we had the chance," Katsu said.

"What? Are you saying this is my fault?" Mayu gasped, standing up.

"Uh, yeah."

"It was Yuri! You know what she said!"

Katsu snorted.

"You're unbelievable!"

Katsu shrugged and started walking toward the gate. When Mayu demanded to know where he was going, and how he could abandon their argument, he reminded her they were missing class. They both sprinted out the door and all the way to their classroom. Upon entering they both received a detention. Katsu flicked Mayu and whispered that it was her fault and she smacked him on the back of the head. Katsu took his seat next to Atsuko and Mayu sat behind him.

She spent half the rest of the class throwing pieces of paper at him, while he made a rude hand gesture every time she did behind his back. When the teacher turned his back to write on the board, Katsu turned around and took her notebook from her. Atsuko giggled and Mayu scowled. Well, it wasn't like she was going to take notes anyway.

~VM~

"What the hell were you doing in class?" Katsu demanded later as they walked over to the gate of the Moon Dorms.

"I was throwing things at you," replied Mayu, before walking past him.

"You're strange, you know that? I'm surprised Atsuko can bare to share a room with you."

There was already a small crowd of girls waiting outside the gates. Mayu looked through the crowd and then started laughing. As she leaned against a tree for support, Katsu looked at her with worried eyes. When he asked what was the matter, Mayu pointed. Following the direction of her finger Katsu ended up looking straight at his girlfriend.

"W-what's she doing here?" he stuttered.

"I don't think to see you," Mayu giggled.

Nana, Atsuko's friend, nudged Atsuko who looked around nervously and then ran over to them.

"Hey babe," Atsuko said. "I was waiting for you."

"Really?" replied Katsu, eyeing Mayu.

"Of course."

"Are you sure it's not because of a new Night Class student?" Mayu interjected.

"I…" Atsuko didn't know what to say.

"Whatever," Katsu shrugged.

He walked away, toward the gate with Mayu tagging closely behind. Katsu growled at her to shut up and then repeated this after she pointed out she wasn't saying anything. Mayu blew her whistle and the girls all lined up and waited patiently for Night Class students.

As they filed out, Katsu muttered rude things under his breath. Mayu caught him say "Stupid bloodsuckers" and "bad girlfriend stealers." Mayu giggled. Daichi nodded at her as they walked past, next to her Leiko was strutting past them all with her nose pointed up. All the rest just walked to their class as normal, all except Yuuta. He seemed very frightened by the multitude of human girls.

"Mayu-chan?" he said in a worried tone.

Mayu looked around and then walked over to him.

"Why are they all here?" he whispered.

"They're fan-girls," Mayu explained. Then she continued after she saw his expression of confusion. "They really like the Night Class."

"I see… Should I be worried?"

"No, don't worry they're harmless. Stupid, maybe, but harmless."

Murmurs rippled through the herd of girls as the Night Class stopped so that Yuuta may finish his conversation. Mayu felt very uncomfortable; she did not know what Yuuta was waiting for. He leaned forward.

"Would you mind accompanying the rest of the way?" he asked. "I trust you more."

"Oh of-of course," Mayu stammered. "See you later, Katsu!"

"What?" Katsu growled.

Mayu smirked now as she walked and chatted with Yuuta. Later she would just say that she was following through with Leiko's orders, but she enjoyed Yuuta's company. She also enjoyed being able to walk to class with Daichi. Looking back at Yuuta, Mayu realized how short Yuuta was. He was at least 2 inches shorter than her. How odd.

"Don't you get very tired, staying awake almost the whole night?" Yuuta asked then. Mayu shook her head.

"I'm lucky to be a Guardian, so I'd never complain or let myself get tired," she explained.

Yuuta smiled, a glowing and dazzling smile. Mayu couldn't help but smile back. She felt very comfortable around him, unlike around most everyone else. As Mayu looked forward, she caught Leiko glaring at her and Daichi smiling. She blushed and Yuuta chuckled.

Finally they arrived to their classroom, Mayu and Yuuta waited outside. Yuuta smiled.

"Thank you for accompanying me," he said. "I'd better get inside."

"Of course, no trouble at all. Thanks for getting me away from Katsu," replied Mayu.

"Don't worry, he'll come around eventually."

"What?"

Yuuta smiled and backed into the classroom. Mayu sighed and drooped her shoulders. He was really strange. One minute they'll be joking around the next he'd say something weird like that. Whatever, thought Mayu.

"Ditcher!" called a voice from down the hall.

"Ugh, what do you want?" Mayu groaned. She turned to face and stuck her tongue out at him as he imitated her pouting. Mayu walked over and punched him. Katsu lifted her up on his shoulder. Mayu pounded on his chest and hollered at him to put her down. Katsu laughed and spun around. Mayu started laughing as well.

"Alright let's go make sure everything's safe," Katsu said.

"Aren't you going to put me down first?" Mayu replied.

"Nope."


	5. Chapter 5

5

After much tickling from Mayu, Katsu put her back on the ground. They both laughed for a bit and rested on the edge of the castle wall.

"You know you left me with a bunch of crazy girls, right?" asked Katsu.

"Oh so Mr. Big and Tough can't handle a bunch of girls?" Mayu retorted.

"No man can."

Mayu snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Let's just walk around the school once and call it a night," she suggested. Katsu nodded in agreement.

Mayu stood up, but then lost her balance and started to fall over the edge. Katsu grabbed her arm and pulled her back so fast their heads almost collided. They stared at each other for a moment, which, to Mayu, seemed like an eternity. Katsu smiled mischievously.

"You I can handle, though," he said. "Be more careful, okay?"

"I will…" Mayu paused. "Wait, what's 'you I can handle' supposed to mean?"

"It means you're easier to take care of than a pack of rabid girls. Congratulations."

With that he walked off. Mayu remained until he turned around and asked whether of not she was coming. As usual, no one was out and about by this time. This made their walk very boring and a little awkward. After he had investigated what Yuuta wanted with Mayu, they really didn't much to talk about. At least, not until they came around the corner and heard voices coming from below the path: in the woods.

"What are you?" they heard a terrified male voice. It sounded like Ugaki Tadase, a boy in Mayu and Katsu's class.

Katsu groaned and swore. Mayu motioned for them to go. They jumped over the wall, ran down the wall, plunged into the forest with a smooth landing. Katsu hand rested near his hidden gun, while Mayu took out her staff.

"Cut!" shouted another boy. Mayu tilted her head in confusion as she observed the scene.

One boy, Tadase, was pretending to look terrified while a girl next to him was splattered with neon green paint, also wearing a headband with pom-pom antennas. There were two other boys, one holding a camera, the other looking very ticked at the two Guardians.

"What the hell is going on?" Katsu spoke first.

"We're trying to film a movie," the girl calmly explained.

"Why?" Mayu said. "And why now?"

"Because this scene takes place at night," explained the apparent director as though they were supposed to have known.

"Well, you've had no authorization of this, nor are you allowed to be out at this time of night," Mayu began. "I'll need you to hand your camera over and report to detention tomorrow and the day after."

They all groaned and reluctantly went on their way to their rooms.

"What should I do with it?" Mayu asked Katsu.

"Just give it to your dad," he replied, shrugging. Mayu sighed.

"Would you say that that was enough searching of the grounds for tonight?"

"Yeah," he agreed, "unless you want to walk with Yuuta again."

Mayu stuck her tongue out and informed him that she wanted to get some actual sleep that night. Katsu didn't looked convinced, but made no further remarks. She was happy when he chose not to remark, which in turn made Katsu slightly happier.

"I haven't seen my father all day," Mayu told Katsu.

"Then I won't come in with you. I need to get back to the boy's dorms anyway, before they close the bathrooms."

"Alright…see you later. And I don't want to see you in my room when I get there."

"Why would I? Atsuko loves those vamps…"

"Well when compared to you who can blame her?"

Mayu sprinted away before Katsu could yell at her. She ran almost all the way to her father's office, but slowed so she wouldn't be panting when she entered.

"Hello, Mayu," Zero greeted her bleakly, his usual manner.

"Mayu!" her father nearly squealed.

"Hi, I confiscated this from a group of students," Mayu informed them both. She tossed it to her father who caught it. Mayu walked over to the chair in which Zero was sitting over in the corner and bent to see what he was reading. Zero put his book down quickly and stared at her.

"How are you?" she asked him.

"Fine. You?"

"I'm alright. Is that book good?"

"Not really."

"Oh…"

"Mayu, how is our new student doing?" he father interrupted.

Mayu smiled and explained walking him to class. Then she pointed out that it's only been a day and she wouldn't have an opinion on his school status yet. Zero was frowning with anger in his little corner.

"That's kind of you, Mayu," said the headmaster. "Wouldn't you agree, Kiryu-kun?"

"Yeah, but not necessary," he snarled.

"Do you have a problem with the new student?" Mayu asked bluntly.

Ignoring the headmaster's pleas to drop the subject, Zero said, "Yes. Kurans have no business coming here anymore."

"But of course they do, they're purebloods aren't they?" she retorted.

Zero stood. "That's why."

"Enough Zero," the headmaster said. "You know the Kuran family is an important part of this school's history. Just because you have…problems with them, that does not mean you can speak so thoughtlessly in front of my daughter."

"She knows enough, why not just tell her the whole story? Why not tell her what vampires could do to –"

"Be quiet!" Mayu's father yelled. Rarely did he get mad, but when he did, he got very mad. Zero scowled.

"You may leave, now, Kiryu."

Mayu watched as he walked into another room.

"You too, Mayu."

Mayu nodded.

She walked towards her father's bathroom in order to take a much-needed shower. She grabbed a spare outfit to wear to sleep and walked into the bathroom.

After she took a nice hot shower, she changed. Mayu used her hand to rub the mirror so that she could see. Her legs were cold; she should have worn sweatpants instead of her little shorts that were shorter than her skirt. She had just begun to wrap a towel around her hair when the door opened. Katsu walked in.

"Hey!" Mayu said sharply.

"Hi," he replied.

"What are you doing in here?"

"Waiting for you to get out so that I could take a shower. Those idiots still forget that I get back late and lock it."

"Well at least get out for now."

"You're almost done, what's the big deal?"

"Katsu, get out!"

Their bickering echoed in the hallway. Zero frowned. It seemed that just yesterday it was he who was a Guardian fighting with Yuuki. Mayu was nothing like Yuuki, though. Mayu was blunt and bitter, but sweet, surefooted and determined, while Yuuki was bashful, loyal, and a klutz. And Katsu was friendlier, more laid back than Zero was and is. Katsu, however, did not have the trouble of being a vampire, vampire hunter, whose body refused blood tablets.

At that point, Zero couldn't stand to hear their fighting any longer. He walked straight into the bathroom and dragged Katsu out.

"Do I have to take you to the headmaster and explain that you were harassing his daughter in his bathroom?" Zero asked.

"No! I'll wait…" Katsu mumbled.

"Good."

~VM~

Mayu tossed and turned most of the night; especially after realizing she hadn't studied in days. She wondered what today would throw at her. Hopefully there would not be another pureblood student coming, for two was enough.

It was very early in the morning when a knock came on Mayu's door.

"Come in," Mayu said, being careful not to wake her roommate.

Zero then, hesitantly, came into the room. Mayu sat back down on her bed. She felt slightly embarrassed now that she was only wearing a tank top and shorts. Zero, seemed uncomfortable too, as though he was regretting what he was doing. He stood at the edge of Mayu's bed and she realized how young Zero still looked considering he was around the same age her father.

"I just wanted to ask you something…" Zero said in his tone that always sounded angry.

Mayu shifted. "Okay."

"Will you try to stay away from Kuran?"

"Yuuta-kun? Why?"

"His family has bad history. They are bad news."

Mayu stood up and walked right up to Zero. " I think you've had some sort of personal issue with them and you're trying to get revenge by keeping me away from him."

Zero took a step closer to make it clear that he was superior to her.

"I," he said, "am just looking out for the headmaster's daughter, whom I've known since she was born."

Mayu blushed. "You do have a grudge though, don't you?"

"Goodbye, Mayu…-chan."

Zero started to walk out the door.

"Wait, I have a quick question," Mayu said. "Do you do anything for the school?"

Zero chuckled, which was frightening, then he said, "I kill vampires."

He smiled evilly and the expression on Mayu's face. She couldn't comprehend why the school would need to kill vampires if they were promoting good relations. She also couldn't grasp how Zero, being a vampire, could kill another vampire. He was a complete mystery that needed to be solved…on another day.

Mayu got dressed, grabbed her book bag and went down to her father's office for breakfast. She was planning to ask more questions about the Kurans to see what was so bad about them.

"Mayu!" her father greeted her. "We have two others joining us other then Kiryu-kun!"

"Who?"

"Hello, Mayu-chan," said Yuuta from a chair at the table. Next to him was Katsu, with his head face down on his folded arms. Mayu pulled his arms away and laughed as his head hit the table, waking him with a start. Zero then walked in looking slightly less grumpy than he normally was in the morning. His whole face transformed, however, when he saw Yuuta.

"Good morning," Zero said. Mayu didn't reply, but sat next to Yuuta. Zero frowned.

They all ate quietly, while the headmaster tried to start conversation. Yuuta and he were the only two talking. Mayu would eye Zero sometimes and Katsu was eating away. Then Zero cleared his throat.

"Isn't it odd for you to be out and about in the day?" he asked Yuuta.

"Not on occasions such as this. Besides," Yuuta continued, "you too are a vampire, but you walk in the daylight."

Zero bared his teeth.

"Well!" the headmaster exclaimed, standing up from his chair. "This has been a lovely breakfast, but I think we should end it now…"

The all nodded, except Zero, who left immediately. Mayu sighed. Whatever was wrong between the Kurans and Zero, Mayu was now determined to find out what it was.


	6. Chapter 6

6

"Oi, stupid," Katsu hissed, hitting Mayu.

"Who're you calling stupid? Quit hitting me! Why are you making such weird motions?" Mayu asked, standing from her seat.

"Cross-san…" said a voice from the front. "Will you answer the question?"

"X equals 42," Mayu growled. She smacked Katsu with her textbook and sat back down.

"You're in history class," the teacher murmured quietly, but the look of evil Mayu had forced her to move on. Katsu apologized for Mayu.

"What the hell?" Katsu whispered. "What are you spacing out for?"

"Something with Yuuta-kun…" she replied, staring out the window.

"Well, what about him?"

Mayu turned to him and leaned close to his face. Katsu blushed a little and narrowed his eyebrows.

"Mayu?"

Then Mayu flicked his forehead.

"Don't wear such idiotic looks on your face," she said.

"Ah…you…" Katsu laid his head on the desk.

They didn't talk for the rest of the lessons. They had never sat next to each other in a class before, yet they weren't as troubling to teachers as when they sat apart. Atsuko was still avoiding Katsu; afraid of him breaking up with her, so she sat near the front.

As soon as the bell rang, Katsu called Atsuko over. Mayu kept a distance away, but made sure she was within earshot.

"Hi, babe," Atsuko said.

"Uh, yo," Katsu replied.

"What's wrong?"

"I, uh, we need to stop dating."

"What? Just because I went to see the Night Class once?"

"Well, yeah."

"No, that's not it."

Then she whispered something to him. He looked embarrassed.

"You asshole!" she shrieked, and then she slapped him across the face and ran off past Mayu.

Katsu was rubbing his cheek when he walked over to Mayu. Mayu asked if he explained that he didn't actually like her. When he pushed Mayu, she took it as a yes and laughed.

"You could have broken up with her once you realized you felt nothing for her," Mayu said.

"You shouldn't talk, you know nothing about this sort of thing," Katsu said. "I stayed with her because she liked me and was hot."

"Pig."

Mayu started to walk away again, but Katsu grabbed her arm. She fell backwards, but Katsu caught her. He pulled her close to his chest.

"I told you to be careful, didn't I?" Katsu asked,

Mayu pushed his away and marched off toward the Moon Dorm entrance. Her cheeks were burning still as she heard Katsu's laughter echoing throughout the hall. Whenever he teased her like that, she got incredibly irritated. It also distracted her from focusing on Zero's hatred of the Kuran family.

She was still fuming by the time she had marched to the crowd of girls waiting outside the entrance. Mayu was so angry she exploded at them.

"SHUT UP, ALL OF YOU!"

They were all silent immediately.

"Now," she said more quietly, but still in a harsh tone, "stand to the side. If you speak or move I'll hit you with my staff so hard you won't wake up for a month."

They all obeyed of course. Even as the Night Class came out, they were all shaking with fear. Daichi was the first to come out and he looked quiet amused. Katsu finally arrived and his reaction was asking what the hell Mayu did to them. Leiko ran out after Daichi and clung to his arm. Others followed and then Yuuta came last. He waved to Mayu. She waved back and then smile and ran to him.

"Hello, Mayu-chan," Yuuta said.

"Hi, Yuuta-kun," Mayu said.

"Hello, Mayu, will you be joining us to class today?" Daichi asked.

"I need to talk to Yuuta-kun, so if you don't mind," Mayu said, although it mental wounded her to. Daichi contorted his face with confusion and then continued walking.

"Do you know why Zero-san does like your family?" she asked Yuuta.

"I do not really know, but I could make a few guesses," Yuuta replied.

"I'd like to know what you think."

"Well, it could be partly because of his hatred toward pure bloods who turned him. My father also stole my mother away from Kiryu-san. I believe Kiryu-san loved her very much and when he found out that she too was a pureblood… well I think he just started hating my family."

Mayu was surprised at how (slightly) romantic a reason it was. She would now have to now confront Zero.

"Thanks Yuuta-kun," Mayu said quietly.

"Here, take this," Yuuta said. He handed her a picture of a beautiful woman in a stunning red satin dress.

"Who's this?"

"My mother, Kuran Yuki. I'm sure Kiryu-san will want to know where you got it if you showed him. So don't tell."

Mayu turned bright red at her plan being uncovered so easily. Yuuta smiled and told her to find Zero and tell him Zero's reaction. Mayu nodded and ran off.

She searched for a while with no luck. Finally she found him in his private study. Mayu was a little nervous at standing outside the door, but finally she knocked on the door. She clutched the picture close to her chest.

"Who is it?" Zero asked. His tone was soft and inviting, unlike usual.

"It's me… Mayu," Mayu said quietly.

"Oh, come in."

Mayu walked in slowly. She didn't really understand why she was suddenly so nervous. Zero found a stool under a pile of books for her to sit on. When she was asked why she came, though, she had a burst of bravery.

"I know why you hate Yuuta-kun and the Kuran family," she finally said.

Zero looked taken aback when she said this. She handed him the picture. Zero looked completely stunned. He stood up, slamming his fists against the desk.

"Where did you get this?" he shouted. "Where?"

Mayu didn't answer.

"Where?" Zero repeated quietly. "Where? ...Yuki."

"You know her?"

"Come with me."

Zero grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the room. He dragged her all the way down the halls to her father's office. Her father looked up with a smile, but then his face fell.

"She needs to know!" Zero growled, bringing Mayu into the room.

"Zero-kun, are you ill? What on earth are you talking about?" said the headmaster, smiling calmly once more.

"You have to tell her what he did to Yuki! What their kind did to my brother, this academy, and me! We have to make her see that they're no good. And that their son is no good either!"

"What about her daughter?"

Zero's eyes widened and his face was over come with absolute fury. His grip cut off the circulation to Mayu's hand, but he then released his hold and curled his hand into a fist. Mayu didn't know such a level of rage existed.

"Her daughter is different! Mayu needs to know the whole story!" he shouted even louder.

"The whole story?" the headmaster replied. Mayu had never heard her father speak in such a heartless tone. Was he enjoying his mockery of Zero?

"However much you think is necessary," Zero growled quietly.

"If it is your wish," the headmaster sighed, frowning now.

Mayu's father told her the entire story that Zero was speaking of. She learned about Zero's days as a student at the academy. When he was a Guardian with Kuran Yuki, who was then called Cross Yuki. Mayu listened to the entire story without interrupting (which was a rare occurrence indeed) and then they all sat in silence.

Then Mayu turned to Zero, getting close to his face, and then she asked, "You loved her, didn't you?"

Zero turned away and muttered, "I did."

"I understand, now… but I don't think you can blame it on Yuuta-kun."

"He is their child," he growled. "He can never be good. It'd be smart of you to stay away from him!"

Zero stood up violently and left the room, slamming the door behind him. Mayu stared at the door. Part of her wanted to follow him, comfort him, but most of her was sort of ticked at him for being so overdramatic. Mayu was old enough to take care of herself, wasn't she?

~VM~

Outside of the Moon Dorm gates, Katsu was ushering off girls back to the Sun Dorms when he realized Mayu was missing. He asked everyone if they knew where she went, but the only helpful response was a general direction. He ran off toward the way he was directed. Finally he discovered that she must be in Zero's office.

He knocked on the door and then entered after the door opened.

There were no lights on, only the light was that of the moon through the tall window. Katsu fiddled with a string tie to a book as he walked by it. Finally he called out.

"Kiryu-san? Mayu? Are you in here?"

There was no response. Katsu sighed. He turned to leave, but then behind him a floorboard squeaked. Katsu turned and pulled out his knife.

"Who's there?" he growled.

From the shadows two red beacons began to glow. They were the bright red eyes of a hungry vampire. Katsu had no time to move as the vampire lunged at him and sank its fangs deep in his neck.


	7. Chapter 7

7

Katsu gasped for breath as he tried to beat his attacker away. A vampire was biting him. It was a horrifying sensation, a cold and tingling sensation, but with a ton of pressure on two point in his neck; the point that the fangs had pierced. The pressure suddenly lessened and Katsu felt dizzy.

"Who's there?" he whispered, feeling immediately stupid as he did.

He, of course, received no answer and all around him things were starting to dim. Katsu fought to keep his eyes open, even after falling to the floor. The last thing he saw before blanking out were two dimming red eyes.

~VM~

Mayu had fallen asleep on her father's couch, but she didn't realize until her father nudged her awake. He wore a serious and worried expression.

"You need to get up, dear," the headmaster murmured.

"Why?" Mayu demanded. "What's happened?"

"Katsu's been hurt."

Mayu sprang off the couch and began to run towards the door. The headmaster grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Why are you stopping me? I need to see if he's alright!" Mayu growled.

"I don't want you going out alone. Whatever attacked him may very well be still lurking."

Mayu knew it must have been a vampire. She fought tears back and allowed her father to lead the way to the infirmary. It seemed like a thousand years had gone by in the long walk there. There was a full moon high above their heads, smirking at Mayu's fear.

Once they reached the door Mayu ran in, nearly blowing the door of the hinges. Katsu was there, lying in the last bed. He was unconscious. As Mayu drew closer she could see scratches on his neck around a bandage that must be cover the fang punctures. She burst into tears at his side. He was like her brother, Katsu was, her loving, annoying brother. They'd known each other since they were small. But now he was not himself. He wasn't cracking a joke, smiling, or slacking off. He wasn't there.

"He'll be alright Mayu," her father whispered to her.

"T-t-that's v-v-very good," Mayu choked out. "I'm sure tears are my reaction because I'm just overtired. I can't control my-myself."

Mayu sniffed. The headmaster wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Where did they find him?" Mayu asked in a whisper.

When her father did not answer, she got an awful feeling in her gut. It quickly became fury.

"What's happened, Cross?" asked a voice that Mayu and the headmaster both new. Zero walked urgently into the room. Mayu ran at him and punched him square in the face. She was about to punch him again, but Zero grabbed her arm.

"What're you doing?" Zero demanded.

"Why'd you hurt him?" Mayu hissed.

"I did not and never would hurt him. You should know that Mayu-chan."

Zero threw her away from him. He may have meant for it to be gentle, but being a vampire he must not have realized it. Or perhaps he had meant for it to be as strong as it was.

Mayu wrapped her arms around herself. She was so lost and scared. She then turned to go out the door when she walked right into Daichi. He laid his hands on her shoulders.

"I was just looking for you," he told her. "I heard what happened and I knew you would be hurting. So I came to see if I could try and help you."

"Okay," was all Mayu said.

"Why don't we take a walk?" Daichi suggested. He took Mayu by the hand and they began walking.

They had already turned to another hall before Mayu realized they could be in danger.

"Wait," Mayu finally whispered, "the vampire is still on the grounds."

"I'll defend you if I need to," Daichi said softly with a smile. Mayu smiled the slightest of slight smiles. Daichi, the one she'd loved for three years now, was on a walk with her.

Daichi stopped walking once they reached the back hallway. No one usually used this one since they built other hallways that were quicker routes. It had some rose bushes growing over the side of the wall threatening to prick. Daichi turned to face her. He placed his hands on the wall on either side of her.

"I don't ever want to see you in pain," he murmured.

His face drew closer and closer to hers until finally their lips met. It was like a spark. Mayu's face burned red with surprise as she kissed him back. She could feel the brick rubbing against the back of her leg, but she didn't care. Daichi gripped her hair in both his hands. Mayu laid one hand on his chest and the other on the back of his head. Daichi slid his hand down her back and pulled her close to him. Mayu closed her eyes and lost herself in the moment that was beyond magical.

"I love you," Daichi murmured into her ear.

"Mayu!"

The two broke apart and watched as Zero ran to them. Mayu scowled and turned away.

"You can't just run off like that without telling your father! Especially not with a Night Class student," Zero growled. "They're all considered suspects right now."

"You, too, are a vampire, need I remind you?" Daichi replied coldly. "And the attack took place in your office, did it not? It seems like you're a greater suspect than any of the Night Class."

"Mayu, follow me now."

He took her arm and started to walk. Mayu walked with him, but once Daichi was out of view, she ripped her hand out of her grip. She stopped, causing Zero to do the same. She stared at him searchingly for a moment while Zero stared back harshly.

"Are you going to attack me now?" Mayu asked bluntly.

"Mayu, I did not attack Katsu! I was with you and your father," Zero growled.

"You got angry and left, remember?"

Zero sighed, covering his face with his hand.

"You're so headstrong. It'll lead you to trouble one day," Zero murmured, "but not today. We can ask Katsu who attacked him once he wakes."

"Fine," Mayu replied, then hesitated before asking, "Do you hate all purebloods?"

"Not all, just most. Now let's hurry back before your father murders me."

~VM~

"Mayu," the headmaster sighed with relief, "thank goodness you're safe. You mustn't scare me like that."

Mayu hugged her father loosely. She was too aware of Zero's presence in the room. He just stood near the window, searching for anything on the grounds. Mayu could tell that he was still keeping an eye on her though.

"Has he awoken?" Mayu asked her father.

"No," replied the headmaster. "Zero, I must check on the Night Class, please stay here with Mayu."

"Why not just have Kiryu-san go? He is a vampire, after all, wouldn't it be more fitting?"

"For goodness sakes, just stay here Mayu!" her father nearly shouted before quickly fleeing the room.

Mayu sat in a chair next to Katsu and thought about him, Daichi, and Zero. She was ignoring Zero, but she couldn't help but think about him. He seemed like the most logical suspect, yet the least likely. He had nothing against Katsu, surprisingly. If Zero were to attack someone it would have been Yuuta or one of the other vampires. Zero had so much control, though, that it seemed unlikely for him to loose control.

What if a rogue vampire had gotten onto the grounds, though? Would Mayu and Katsu be blamed for not properly doing their job, or would Headmaster Cross have to take the fall. Perhaps the school could manage to keep it a secret and swiftly dispose of the vampire before anymore harm came.

Mayu's head was spinning, as was Zero's. Mayu had been accusing him relentlessly and he couldn't put his finger on the reason why. He had reveled his past to her that was haunting him endlessly, and this was her thanks? Zero couldn't help but notice that her behavior had become more and more reckless. Kissing Daichi while her dearest friend was lying in the hospital and a vampire was on the loose was merely stupid and disrespectful. Zero planned to talk to the headmaster about reorganizing priorities. Catching the vampire and controlling Mayu should be first, other matters second.

A tremendous cough disrupted the thoughts of the two. Katsu was stirring. He gripped his shoulder as his face contorted with pain. He slowly sat upright.

"What the hell happened?" he asked in hoarse voice.

Mayu was on her feet as she replied, "You were attacked!"

"I know that!" Katsu growled back. "I mean what happened to my shoulder? Did they stab me with a needle?"

Mayu rolled up his sleeve, quickly at first but then slowly after he winced a few times. She revealed a large bandage covering his shoulder.

"According to this," Zero said, reading off a sheet the nurse left. "That's where the vampires claws dug in, probably to hold you still."

"It hurts like hell, man."

Mayu poked his shoulder. Katsu grabbed her hand.

"Don't mess with me," Katsu told her, "I seriously kill you."

"It's good to know you're still you," Mayu said.

"Why don't you stand back, Mayu-chan," Zero suggested. "Mori, did you see anything?"

"Sorry, I only saw a pair of bright red eyes, nothing special. You're office was really dark," Katsu told them.

Mayu and Zero sighed, but for polar opposite reasons. Mayu was still angry with Zero's behavior and was searching for something to convict Zero with. Zero was looking for some way to prove his innocence to Mayu. He didn't like how she acted towards him now. She was usually trying to bother him or ask him obnoxiously long questions, but now there was nothing. She didn't talk, unless he talked to her or if she was accusing him.

Katsu was so disoriented. His shoulder was in pain, along with his neck. He grabbed Mayu's shoulder.

"I'm sorry I couldn't see who it was," he told her.

"It's not your fault," Mayu told him.

Katsu knew she was right, but it felt like it was his fault. A crazy half fed vampire could be running around the school grounds now.

Someone knocked on the door. It was Yuuta to Katsu's dismay.

"He's awake?" Yuuta asked.

Mayu walked over to him and murmured, "I don't think you should be here."

"Don't worry. I just heard that it was Zero who attacked him and came to uncover the truth."

Zero bared his teeth and then growled, "I did not attack Mori."

"I know, I did."


	8. Chapter 8

8

"What?" they all exclaimed. Mayu grabbed Yuuta by the shirt.

"I'm just kidding," he said with a smile. "You are all very gullible."

Katsu sank in his bed, Zero growled, and Mayu punched Yuuta in the stomach. Mayu let go of his jacket and walked away from him. She kept still, staring out the window while Yuuta laughed. It took all of her might not to take out her staff right then.

Katsu yelled swears at him.

"I'm sorry, I thought you would fin it funny…" Yuuta murmured in a smooth voice. His face showed signs of true remorse. "I thought I could lighten the mood before offering to help search for the attacker."

Zero dragged Yuuta by the back of his shirt all the way across the room and out the door. Then he slammed it on him.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" Katsu yelled at Mayu.

"He doesn't understand, that's all," Mayu told him, with a glare. "He really thought we'd find it funny. He obviously hasn't been around many people."

"He hasn't been around anyone!" Katsu snapped.

"Kuran must have kept him locked up," Zero muttered. "It couldn't have been Kuran-san, though."

"No shit. I'm not a vampire."

"Obviously," Mayu smiled. "Where's my father? Shouldn't he be back by now?"

A knock rapped on the door. Zero sighed and opened the door for Yuuta.

"I believe you could use my help," he told them. "I can be a spy; as a pureblood I can ask whatever questions without suspicion."

No one said a word for a long time. Mayu exchanged glances with Katsu who exchanges glances with Zero.

"Alright," said Katsu. "So go and spy."

"Thank you for letting me help. I will make up for my awful joke," Yuuta said with a grin.

"Sure… Go on."

"Oh, right."

Yuuta ran off, on his way back to the Moon Dorms.

"Why don't you go too?" Mayu asked Zero. "Before we find evidence."

"Enough, Mayu! You've known me for all your life! I helped raise you; I told you all about my past and this is how I am repaid? All your life have I ever attacked anyone? No! Why would I start now? And why would I attack Katsu? You're accusing me blindly! I'm telling you to stop now," Zero shouted.

Mayu turned away.

"Listen to me, Mayu!"  
Mayu took a seat in the chair next to Katsu. Katsu looked anxiously from Zero to Mayu.

Out of rage Zero punched the door, accidentally knocking it off its hinges. Mayu flinched, but remained staring at her lap. Zero picked up the door and placed it inside the room.

"I – uh," Zero started. He ran off to the headmaster's office.

Katsu and Mayu sat in silence for a long time. Outside the sun was beginning to rise. The clouds covering the sky created a dreary color.

"I don't think it was Kiryu-sensei," Katsu told her.

Mayu only nodded.

"You should lighten up."

Mayu didn't respond. Katsu then held out his hand, and then took Mayu's when she didn't react.

"I'm fine, I'm alive and I'm here," he told her. "Kiryu-sensei will forgive. Then we can find and kill whoever attacked me."

Mayu squeezed his hand and grinned.

~VM~

"Katsu-kun!" the voice startled Mayu and Katsu.

It was Atsuko. She ran – more like half ran half tripped – over to Katsu and flung herself next to him.

"Are you okay?" she demanded. "I heard you were attacked by an animal!"

"He's fine," Mayu said.

Atsuko blushed and then ignored Mayu.

"I'll stay with you," Atsuko told Katsu. "I can help you heal."

Mayu rolled her eyes and stood up. She was going to let Katsu deal with her. Katsu grabbed her sleeve. Mayu turned, wrinkling her brow in confusion. This was his girl friend, wasn't it?

"Atsuko, I think we need to break up," Katsu said softly.

Atsuko looked shocked.

"I mean you obviously like some other guys so why don't we just stop dating?"

Atsuko's face transformed into a not-so-threatening glare that she turned on Mayu. Atsuko stood up and stuck a finger in Mayu's face. Although Mayu pretended to never be conscious of others' personal bubbles, she was all too aware of hers, and Atsuko had crossed the line.

"You cause this, didn't you?" whined Atsuko. "What kind of a roommate are you?"

"I really don't care for you, and you don't care for me," Mayu replied calmly. "Now please get your hand away."

Atsuko looked at her in disbelief. She fled from the room. Mayu blinked and then laughed.

"She's a –" Katsu started before looking at the clock and saying, "Oh my God we're going to be late!"

Mayu shoved him back into the bed and said, "There's no classes today, stupid. Just keep resting, not that you do anything different in class."

"You're always there to distract me!"

"Mayu," the headmaster interrupted, "could you please come to my office?"

Mayu hesitated for a moment. Katsu wasn't snickering as he would have normally which meant whatever her father wanted couldn't be pleasant. Katsu let go of Mayu's sleeve.

Mayu followed her father to his office in silence. He told her to go get changed before they spoke. Mayu nodded and went into the headmaster's bathroom. She found the change of clothes that she kept in there and change.

Once Mayu knew she could no longer avoid talking to her father she left the bathroom. She convinced herself she was worrying for no reason. Zero was no tattletale, so she needed not to worry about him. Perhaps he had some news about Katsu's attacker. She quickened her pace at the thought.

"Father?" she said when she walked into his office. "Is there any news?"

"Yes," he replied hesitantly. "Sit down, Mayu."

Out of habit Mayu smoothed her jeans after she took a seat on the couch. The way her father was hesitating made her now believe that he was holding back the information because he was choosing whether or not to tell her.

"One of the Night Class students claims that he was the attacker," he finally said.

"Who?" demanded Mayu immediately.

" Fujita Hayate."

Mayu groaned. Hayate was a suck up, but harmless. He hardly possessed any powers. It was definitely more likely that he was lying to show off than anything else. When Mayu spoke her thoughts on the matter the headmaster agreed.

"Anzai-san was quick to question him," he told her.

Mayu smiled. Yuri always acted more like a Guardian than a vampire.

"So, what should we do?" asked Mayu.

"I'm having him kept on guard at all times until we've investigated further, but I do not think it was him."

"Shouldn't he get in trouble for that?"

"He's already locked up right now, so I won't worry about it yet."

The headmaster smiled at her. Mayu noticed his hair was growing paler with age. Some silver strands were scattered atop his head. Wrinkles were becoming more defined on his face as well. Mayu had never once been so aware of her father's aging; it almost made her sad to be reminded that he too was growing old.

"How are we ever going to find out who did this?" asked Mayu. "Is there some way to sort out who's lying?"

"Well I've had ideas, but I don't like the thought of taking advantage of the purebloods' power…"

"Good idea."

Mayu stood up.

"Wait, I have one more thing to discuss," the headmaster said. "Zero-kun is –"

"I know…it wasn't him and I shouldn't have attacked him. I just needed someone to blame during the shock of knowing someone attacked Katsu."

"No, he's leaving."

Mayu didn't respond. She could feel her breath quickening. She sprinted out of the room, furiously out of control. She sprinted all the way past hospital room, Sun Dorms, and the courtyard until finally reaching the gate. Zero was wearing a gray jacket instead of his normal all black attire. He carried two bags, one over his shoulder, and the other in his hand. He was just beginning to close the gate behind before Mayu shouted at him.

"Wait!" she shouted, ignoring any students that might be nearby.

Zero sighed and paused.

"Please, don't leave, Zero-san," she said, gasping for breath after running to him. "I'm sorry for accusing you I just needed something to channel my anger. I shouldn't have picked you for that, it was wrong. Please don't leave just because of some foolish thing I did. We need you to help find the real attacker. I – I…"

Mayu rubbed her eyes, feeling tears boiling up.

"You told me about your past and I was awful about it. The school wouldn't be the same without you. I never open up to anyone and I know I'm babbling but I need you to … You've been with me since I was a baby and I know you've already pointed this all out, but you never pointed out that you're my father's friend and you're my friend. Please, don't leave just yet," Mayu's said. She turned away from him out of shame of him seeing any tears that might fall.

Zero was stunned silent. The last time Mayu had said that much to anyone was when she was about eight years old. He smiled, his first smile for a long time. It felt strange on his face.

He reached out a rested a hand on her head. She turned to face him, surprised to see him smiling.

"I have to leave," he told her, "but I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Okay," she murmured.

Zero ruffled her hair before closing the gate. He started walking, but then stopped.

He turned around.

"Stay safe," he told her, a serious look back in place.

Mayu only nodded.


End file.
